Authors note: Revised 2/21/00. I changed Akane and Darien’s training as well as the end of the entire training thing. It’s much more plausible now.

Shiko sipped at her red wine as she stared out across the darkened city of Tokyo. The millions of blinking lights made it seem too alive for her taste. Night was a time for death, not life. Soon though, eternal night would fall and death would claim this city.

A new presence in the room alerted her senses. Though her keen eyes could not distinguish the newcomer, she knew he was there within the shadows. She turned towards his direction and found the shadows wrapped around him like a jumpsuit, almost as if they were a part of him.

"Have you found it?" she asked nonchalantly.

"No My Lady." His voice was smooth, with only the faintest undercurrent of dislike for the fact that he must follow her.

Her lips curled back in a silent snarl at the effrontery of this one. He was not even a true demon, yet her master had already allowed him a high position amongst them. Had it been up to her she would have disposed of this man long ago. But it was not.

"What about the other? Have you managed to find where the old woman has hidden it?"

The man chuckled. "Cologne is not so stupid as to place the stone in a simple hiding place. I do not think I can find it without using certain…persuasive techniques."

"No," she said flatly. They had had this discussion before.

"I don’t see what you are afraid of. Dolgoth managed to eliminate the only two humans who could threaten us. What is left is nothing more than a disheartened group of fighters, easily disposed of at our leisure." His tone was condescending, implying that she did not have the strength to eliminate such a minor threat.
Anger welled up within Shiko. Her eyes widened and she clenched her fist. How dare this insect say that she was afraid?! And the thought of him speaking about her brother as an equal only fueled her anger. Such a mistake, intentional or not, was unforgivable. Ever so slowly, she relaxed her grip and allowed herself a moment to gather her thoughts. Though she could have disposed of him with a flick of her fingers, she needed him; it pained her to admit it, but she needed his help at this moment. Her silk kimono rustled softly as she took another sip of wine, cooling her anger.

"Lord Dolgoth died bravely. You will show respect when using his name."
The shadow bowed its head in assent. "As My Lady wishes." It was almost, but not quite mocking.

"And as for the Sailor Scouts and those others, I have told you before that I want to keep our actions a secret for as long as possible. Not out of fear, but out of caution. Now tell me, if you have not found what we’re looking for then why are you here?"

"I have found something you might find of interest."

"What?"

"A girl. She-"

Shiko’s wineglass shattered on the wall where the shadow had been standing. Red wine flowed down the wall like blood. She wished it had been his. "I order you to bring me the stones and instead you bring me a girl?! I told you not to bring your disgusting habits to my citadel and yet you do it anyway! Perhaps you are not as useful as I thought."

"It is not as you think My Lady." There was a hint of fear in his voice. Angering her was never the smartest of moves. "This girl is special. She may be of some use to us."

Shiko reigned her anger in and once again forced herself to composure. "I cannot see how a human can be useful, but I will look at her anyway. If I cannot use her then she dies, and you will be punished for your foolishness."

"As you wish. She is sleeping in the basement. I will meet you there." He stepped back to where the shadows were deepest and they folded around him, engulfing him in smothering darkness. In seconds he was gone.

She stared at the place where he had been standing for a few moments, considering the various ways she could be rid of him if he ever blatantly overstepped himself. These were pleasant thoughts, but her orders were to use him in the recovery of the stones and on occasion he came up with something useful. Those were the only reasons she made her way to the elevator that would take her to the basement. Red lacquered fingernails drummed impatiently on her shoulders as she endured the mile long trip beneath the Earth’s crust.

Finally the elevator stopped and she exited into a dark hallway. The armored guards on either side of the elevator doors bowed low when she passed. The hallway was long and wide, and there were many doors along its length, but she passed them all without pause. The shadow had not told her where the girl was, but she had a good idea.

Finally she came to a pair of large double doors. She frowned in disgust at the nude carvings of naked women in various sexual positions that adorned the mahogany wood. Placing her hand gingerly on one of the less disgusting carvings, she pushed. The doors swung inward without a sound.

The room beyond the doors was pitch black. Her eyes, as used to darkness as they were, picked out vague shapes within the dark, but nothing distinct. Suddenly a small bed in the middle of the room was bathed in light. Lying unmoving upon the bed was a small girl with short black hair.

Shiko walked towards the girl and as she got closer she noted that she had no clothes on. "What is the meaning of this?!" she demanded of the darkness.

"I needed to analyze her abilities My Lady," came the answer from her unseen servant. "I could not get accurate readings while she was clothed."

She snorted. It was likely a lie, but she was not in the mood to argue the point. "Show me what you have found."
A large computer behind the bed suddenly sprang to life as several monitors lit up. Readings of various types scrolled across the screens, showing the girls physical prowess. She studied them for a moment and her eyes narrowed. "I see nothing special about this girl. In fact, she seems even weaker than the rest of her pathetic race."

"It’s true that she is less then remarkable physically, but we can simply augment her strength and constitution later. This weak facade, however, is just a cover for the true power that sleeps within her."

The displays on the monitors changed to show different readings. Shiko’s eyes widened after just a cursory glance of these new statistics. "Incredible! To think that such power rests within such a young girl. But are you sure we can harness this power?"

"She is as weak spiritually as she is physically. It shouldn’t prove too difficult to control her. But there is even more. Behold the form which this incredible power takes."

The screens changed again so that now all of them showed the same thing. A smile spread across Shiko’s face as she studied the image before her. "The Sailor Scouts won’t know what hit them."

"Concentrate girl!"

Akane rounded on the old woman who had just hit her over the head with a large, wooden staff. "How am I supposed to concentrate when you keep hitting me with your stupid stick?!"

Cologne regarded the fuming girl with a bemused look. "You don’t concentrate when I’m not hitting you with the stick so I decided you needed a little incentive."

Soft laughter came to Akane’s ears and she whirled to face a chuckling Ukyou and Shampoo. The glares she sent their way just seemed to make them laugh harder. "And just what are you laughing at?!"

"You of course," replied Ukyou.

"Stupid girl no good. Leave fight to real fighters," stated Shampoo as she crossed her arms, challenging Akane to say differently.

The two girls began laughing again, but they were silenced by two quick cracks of Cologne’s staff. "Be quiet, both of you! I have seen neither of you make any more progress at this than Akane and until I do, you will remain silent." The old woman turned back to Akane. "Again. And this time concentrate."

Grumbling under her breath, Akane turned back to face the wooden dummy some thirty yards away. It was no wonder Ranma had thought of Cologne as an old ghoul.

Akane grew sad at the thought of her deceased fiancé. It had been two months since he and Serena had been destroyed in the battle with Dolgoth, but she was still far from getting over him. It constantly amazed her that she could feel so strongly for someone she had fought with all the time.

"Concentrate!"

Cologne’s words cut through her dark thoughts and she returned her mind to the task at hand. The best way to remember Ranma would be to continue fighting for what he had died for. She would learn this technique if it killed her.

Akane gathered her anger and tried to focus it as Cologne had showed her. Thoughts of Ranma’s death, of the one who had killed him, and of what life would be like without him helped to fuel the anger in her aching soul. In her mind, the wooden dummy was replaced by an image of Dolgoth as it became her center of focus. A blazing white aura encompassed her, but she paid it no mind.

The anger within built, blocking off a wall of sadness that threatened to overwhelm her. If that happened she would lose all she had gained. She held her hands out before her a half-foot apart, and a small white sphere appeared between them. Akane poured more and more anger into the glowing ball until at last she felt it was ready.

"Dragon’s Raging Spirit!" Using sheer will power, she thrust the sphere from her hands and sent it scorching across the ground towards her target. The wooden dummy and the area surrounding it exploded in a blinding flash of white light.

Akane stared at the crater her attack had made, but felt no joy from having finally learned the technique. All of her anger had gone with the attack and now the wall separating her from sadness was destroyed. Feeling drained, she slowly sank to her knees.

"Impressive," stated Cologne as she came to stand next to Akane. "I would not have thought your first blast would have been so strong."

Akane began to weep softly and Cologne looked at her in surprise. "He’s gone," she mumbled between sobs. "He’s gone."

The old woman rested a hand on her shoulder. "The pain will ease with time child. Be strong in honor of his memory."

She nodded and stood back up slowly. "I’m sorry."

"Don’t be. You are going through a tough time, but you must listen to what I have to say. As you know, the technique you just used is fueled by anger. It is potentially the most devastating attack of its kind. But you must be in complete control of your anger when you use it. Otherwise your attack will be unfocused and you could hurt yourself or those around you. Do you understand?"

Akane nodded slowly. She felt numb all over, like all of her feelings had been drained by her attack. Cologne sighed. "That is enough training for today. Go back to camp and get some rest."

The sun had barely reached its zenith, and Akane looked at Cologne with hard eyes. "I will train for as long as the others. I won’t give up."

The old woman smiled. "That is good. You are almost as stubborn as he was. A good trait to have as long as you use it at the right times. Go then, and sit down while Ukyou and Shampoo try this exercise."

She nodded and moved to sit under a nearby tree. Cologne pointed to Ukyou and the okonomiyaki chef stepped forward to try and duplicate Akane’s feat, frowning at several wry comments from Shampoo. As hard as she tried though, the most she got was a soft glow to appear around her. This didn’t surprise anyone too much since they had been trying without success for the last two weeks, but it was still disappointing. More so since Akane had finally managed to figure it out.

"Keep trying," encouraged Cologne. "I have faith that you will master this technique. Continue to practice while I check on the others."

Shampoo and Ukyou nodded and immediately began focusing their energy on various targets set up around the area while trying simultaneously to glare at one another. Akane sighed and rose to join them, but the elder Amazon bounced over to stand in front of her. "Walk with me," she commanded. Without looking back to see if Akane followed, the old woman bounced off.

Not knowing what else to do, Akane trailed after her.

The training grounds chosen by Cologne were in the lightly forested foothills around Tokyo. A variety of skills were now present within the group of warriors, and everyone required different training. The result of this was that the large group of fighters had been split up into a few smaller groups that were now scattered around the area. The old woman led Akane out of the clearing she was stationed in and into the forest bordering the expanse of tall grasses.

They walked in silence for several minutes and Akane grew impatient to hear what Cologne had to say to her. "Well," she finally demanded, "what did you want to see me about?"

The martial arts master regarded her with small beady eyes that held an inner strength no one would have guessed she possessed simply by looking at her frail form. "You surprise me girl," she stated flatly. "I had not expected any of you to learn that technique for at least another week. You least of all."

Akane’s eyes flared with anger. "Why not! I train just as hard as Shampoo and Ukyou."

"That is true, but you have never possessed the fighting spirit that rages within the others. Part of what made Ranma such a great fighter was the fact that he had a fire that was unquenchable, one that burned hotter than the sun itself. That was something you have always lacked. Until now."

She remained silent and Cologne continued. "This internal fire can be fueled by many things. Yours, I feel, burns with thoughts of revenge." The old woman stopped suddenly and turned to fix Akane with a hard stare. "This cannot be if you intend to fight the darkness threatening this world. You will lose if you fight for revenge alone."

Akane was taken aback by Cologne’s harsh tone. "H-How do you know I’ll be killed? I was able to learn the chi attack just fine!"

A small smile split the wizened old face. "I didn’t say you’d be killed, I said you would lose. There is a difference. And yes you did very well with the technique I showed you, but still…I know what I know."

Before Akane could say anything, Cologne whirled away and began bouncing again. She followed behind silently, considering the old woman’s words. What else did she have to fight for if not to avenge her fiancé? And if there was something else, how was she supposed to ignore the feelings raging inside of her?

Akane’s introspection was cut short by the sounds of shouting from up ahead. She recognized the voices of the people involved and had a good idea of what was happening. The look of anger on Cologne’s face confirmed her suspicions.

The trees before them parted suddenly to reveal another clearing, this one was a little smaller then the one they had left. In the center of the clearing there were four girls arguing back and forth in loud voices and expansive hand gestures. There should have been six girls plus Darien, but a quick survey of the area showed only one more girl and two cats.

The four who were arguing were Lita, Rei, Amy, and Mina. What they were arguing about was obvious to anyone who had been around them lately regardless of whether you could make out what they were saying. It was the same thing they had been arguing about for the last week.

Who would lead the Sailor Scouts now that Serena was dead?

Akane knew they didn’t act like this out of disrespect for their dead leader or because any of them really wanted the job. Of course, none of them would have felt too bad about being named leader, but taking a position recently vacated because your best friend died was not something anyone looked forward to. She knew they argued because it was how they dealt with the pain they were feeling inside.

Michiru sat quietly on the sidelines as she watched the group impassively. She and Haruka were friendly enough and the others welcomed them into the group without question, but the two Scouts continued to remain distant. They were almost always together and they talked with the others little if not asked a direct question. Akane thought that they felt out of place since neither of them had really known Serena.

"Silence!" The sound of Cologne’s voice pierced the argument like a sudden thunderclap on a quiet night, instantly cutting off further talk. Everyone turned to look at her and four faces turned bright red with embarrassment. The two moon cats, which had been hanging their heads in defeat next to Michiru, perked up at the arrival of the old woman.

Cologne bounced up to the group and glared at each girl in turn. "I told you to practice the maneuvers I showed you and instead you argue. Your enemies grow stronger while you fight amongst yourselves. What honor will you bring Serena’s memory if the demons destroy you while you argue with each other!"

The four Scouts had the grace to look embarrassed, and only Amy was brave enough to speak the thought on everyone’s mind. "But we need a leader."
"Obviously," grumbled Cologne and the shades of red deepened. "You will have a leader when your training is done. But it will be me who chooses who shall lead."

They all looked taken aback by that statement. "That’s not fair!" snapped Rei. "Why should you get to pick our leader?"

"Because this is my world and I’m not about to lose it because you chose a leader based on how loud she could talk!"

"You don’t even know the demons are still a threat! Serena and Ranma finished off that guy in the castle! Maybe he was their leader."

"If that was so then he was a sorry excuse for a demon overlord. No, any true overlord would have mopped the floor with those two. Neither of them had come anywhere near the amount of power they needed to win this war. Know this Rei Hino, the demons are still very much a threat, and they will win this war if you continue with this pointless bickering."

Rei’s mouth worked silently in a vain effort to come up with a decent protest, but nothing was forthcoming and she finally snapped it shut with an angry grunt. Cologne looked to the other three girls, but they were all wise enough to keep their mouths shut.

"Now that that’s settled," continued Cologne, "where are Darien and Haruka?"

"They went off alone to train with their swords." Everyone turned to see Michiru approach the group with the two moon cats in tow.

"And why did they do that? I told all of you to stay here and practice what I showed you."

The new arrival shrugged. "I suppose they thought that sword training would be more productive."

Cologne opened her mouth to say something more, but was cut off by the sound of something crashing through a nearby thicket. Everyone turned to look, preparing to defend themselves from whatever was coming out of the thicket. They were all relieved when Ryoga came stomping into the clearing backwards.

They were a lot less relieved when several sharp, pointy things followed him out.

The lost boy easily batted all of the weapons away and set himself to defend against whatever had thrown them. Seconds later Mousse came leaping into the clearing, flinging several daggers and a few chains at Ryoga.

Dodging all of the daggers, Ryoga grabbed one of the chains out of the air and wrapped it around his arm. Then, with a wordless roar, he swung the chain and the still attached Mousse into a tree. The trunk cracked and Mousse collapsed to the ground in a heap.

"Take that duck boy!" His victory celebration was short lived however, as Cologne’s staff came down on top of his head. "OW!" he exclaimed, turning to see who had hit him. Instead he spotted Akane and his face immediately turned bright red. "Oh, hi Akane."

"Hi Ryoga." She wondered what he was doing fighting with Mousse, but decided to leave the interrogation up to Cologne.

"Just what do you think you’re doing?" demanded the old woman angrily. "I told you to spar, not kill each other!"

Ryoga’s already red face grew even redder. "Well um…you see it’s um…like…"

"Never mind. Just don’t do it again." Cologne regarded the comatose Mousse and then turned an appraising eye on the Scouts. "Since you’re here though, I have a job for you. Run these girls through some sparring sessions."

Ryoga blanched. "What?! I’m not a teacher!"

"Sure you are. Simply tell them what to do and yell at them when they do it wrong. And if they start arguing again you have my permission to hit them. I’ll be back to check on your progress as soon as I deal with Darien. Come on Akane."

Akane followed Cologne out of the clearing, glancing over her shoulder to see a slack jawed Ryoga watching them go. The Scouts watched them leave as well before turning nervous glances to the lost boy. She doubted any more arguing would be taking place today. Being hit by Ryoga was never a fun thing. Not that he would ever hit any of them, but they didn’t know that.

Gold and silver flashed through the air and came together with a sharp clang that rang out through the woods. The swords separated to arc around and meet once again at the depth of a low sweep. Again they separated and again they met, the song of their deadly dance sounding loud and clear.

Darien, now cloaked in the silver armor that marked him as Endymion, jumped back from the high strike of his opponent’s golden sword. Sailor Uranus followed aggressively, thrusting low as she came. He passed the blade with his own sword of silver and spun to the side, bringing the edge of his blade to rest gently against the Scout’s neck.

The two combatants remained there for a few moments, frozen in a tableau of victor and defeated. Finally Endymion removed his sword from Uranus’s neck and returned it to its sheath. "You’re too aggressive. The thrust was good, but too deep."

Uranus grunted. "Again."

Endymion nodded and drew his blade once more. "If you insist."

"Stop!" The voice cut sharply through the forest and both fighters winced. Cologne was never light on her punishments and they both knew they were in trouble.

Endymion resheathed his weapon and turned to face Cologne as she strode up to him. He was slightly surprised to see Akane trailing behind her, but it was the old woman who held his attention. She poked at his armor with the but of her staff and grunted. "Where did you get that?"

He shrugged. "It’s something I’ve always been able to do. Usually I can only do it when Serena’s around, but since…since she’s been gone it seems to be the only costume available to me."

It had been strange at first, calling for his Tuxedo Mask costume and changing, instead, into Endymion, but he liked this better. For one thing it was better suited for battle, with a sharp blade and protective armor. It also served as a tribute to Serena’s memory.

They had always been closest as princess and knight. Now every time he donned the armor he thought of her, and for a brief instant he saw her in perfect detail, as if she were truly standing before him. He felt tears beginning to fill his eyes and forced them down, hardening his featured in the process.

Cologne noticed the change that came over him and frowned slightly. He had the feeling that she knew exactly what was going through his mind, but she said nothing.

"I guess that explains that," said the old women as she positioned herself so that she could glare at both of them equally, "but it doesn’t explain what you two are doing out here. Why aren’t you with the others?"

"It’s a waste of time," snorted Uranus. "I already know how to fight."

Cologne arched an eyebrow. "Is that so? Would you care to demonstrate your exceptional fighting knowledge for me?"

Uranus’s eyes narrowed and she unconsciously rubbed the side of her head. After a few moments she shook her head slowly. Endymion had to force down a smile at how easily cowed the aggressive Scout was when faced with Cologne. The old women had already given a demonstration of her capabilities to all those who thought she couldn’t teach them anything. Uranus had been unconscious for half a day.

"Good, I’m glad I don’t have to knock some more sense into you. Now return to the others and continue your training. When I am satisfied by what you have accomplished, I may teach you something a little more interesting."

Uranus glared at Cologne for a few moments, but finally she turned and walked back towards the clearing. Endymion moved to follow, but Cologne placed her staff across his path, stopping him. He shot her a questioning look, but said nothing, waiting for her to speak first.

"You are to come with me and Akane."

Endymion looked to at Akane, but she just shrugged. "I don’t know anymore than you."

He turned back to the old women, intent on finding out what she was about, but she was already bouncing off on her stick. "Guess we follow her and find out." Akane nodded and they strode after Cologne.

They walked for about ten minutes before arriving at yet another clearing. Cologne walked to the center, but the other two stopped after taking only a few steps into the treeless area, waiting to see what the old woman had in store for them. She studied both of them for several minutes before finally speaking.

"Attack me."

Endymion exchanged glances with Akane. "What?"

"I said attack me! Are both of you deaf?"

Once again they exchanged confused looks. "Why?"

Cologne rolled her eyes and muttered angrily to herself. "Just do it!"
Endymion considered the order for a moment and decided it was part of the old woman’s training. Shrugging to himself, he started moving to position himself on her right flank, signaling to Akane that she should take the other side.

Cologne continued to wait passively in the center of the clearing, staring straight ahead and apparently taking no notice of her opponents. Neither Akane nor Endymion were fooled in the slightest though. Both had seen her skill in battle and knew that, even together, they had little hope of winning this fight.

That wouldn’t stop them from doing their best though.

Endymion attacked without warning, sweeping his foot towards the old woman’s head. By the time his foot reached its destination, though, she was already gone. Akane was standing inches in front of him, her fist drawn back to strike at what wasn’t there.

The old woman had disappeared, but they knew she had to be around here somewhere. Instinctively they both looked up, and each of them got hit squarely in the face. Akane with the old woman’s staff and Endymion with her feet.

Grunting in annoyance more than pain, Endymion stumbled backwards and tried to come up with a counter attack. A staff suddenly entangled his legs, though, preventing any retaliation by sending him crashing to the ground. Before he could regain his feet, Akane landed on top of him and Cologne upon her.

"That was truly pathetic," grumbled Cologne.

"What did you expect?" huffed Akane. "It’s not like we had any chance of beating you!"

"Not with that attitude you didn’t." She hopped off and Akane got off of Endymion, extending a hand to help him up. He accepted gratefully and then they both waited in silence for what Cologne had to say next.

"You both require more training," stated the martial arts master, "that much is obvious. But overall you did not do too badly. You tried to use your superior numbers to gain an advantage and you both figured out exactly where I had gone when I disappeared, even if it was a little late. Given time you will both become excellent fighters."

The bruise he felt forming on his face prevented Endymion from being too pleased with his fighting evaluation. He should have done better than that regardless of his opponent. "So what now?"

"You train." Cologne indicated two large rocks lying off to the side. "Pick those up and run to the top of that hill and back." Said hill was several miles away and looked more like a small mountain. "While you run, contemplate this fight and note the areas where you can improve. If I am here when you return we will spar again."

"And if you’re not here?" asked Akane, although it was apparent from the resigned expression on her face that she already knew the answer, just as Endymion did.

Cologne smiled. "Then you run again."

With resigned sighs, they each picked up their designated rock and began to run towards the hill at an even pace. When they returned Cologne was waiting for them and, as promised, they sparred some more. This particular session was even worse than the first however, since both fighters were tired from lugging the heavy stones over several miles.

When the sparring was over, they ran again.

And so their training began. Mostly it involved strength and speed exercises with the occasional sparing match thrown in where Cologne would always beat upon them and curse them for being slow and incompetent. Still, her apparent disgruntlement with the pair didn’t stop her from teaching them many tricks of the trade, and it was with these two that she spent the majority of her time.

At one point, the martial arts master set up several bamboo poles like the ones at Jusenkyo and had Akane and Endymion fight atop them. This fighting involved a lot of Akane and Endymion falling down. Several times Cologne threatened to haul them both to Jusenkyo and have them try the exercise there so that they had more incentive to keep their balance. Both fighters found their centers incredibly fast.

Sparring was probably the worst for them. Cologne held back nothing and the two trainees had several long rest periods due to unconsciousness. They were learning though. Learning how to gage an opponent, how to predict an opponent’s movements and how to take a punch. They got a lot of practice with that last one.

Their daily routine involved waking up before dawn, eating a hastily prepared meal and then running for twenty miles before the real training began. They returned to camp long after the sun had set, but this was the only time they got to see their friends. For them, though, this time consisted of eating and then collapsing in their tents to fall into a deep sleep.

So conversation between Endymion, Akane, and the others was sparse at best. Usually the Scouts would give him worried looks as he stumbled towards bed while Ryoga would do the same with Akane. Shampoo and Ukyou would comment loudly that Akane needed special training to bring her up to a level where she could receive "real" training.

For one week during the training period, they both returned to camp with burns and scorch marks all over their bodies, especially their hands. No more comments about fake training were made again after that.

One morning though, Darien woke to the sun streaming through the crack in his tent flap. Wondering why he had been allowed to sleep so late, he wandered outside and found Cologne sitting patiently while poking the campfire with a long stick. She looked up at his approach and then turned to look at Akane as she appeared out of another tent.

"What’s going on?" he asked as Akane approached.

Cologne studied them for a few moments and then nodded to herself. "Wait."

Darien exchanged glances with Akane and then they set about fixing breakfast. When they had finished eating, something that was accomplished in silence while they contemplated what was to come, they sat on a log and waited. It was nice to simply sit and relax after over a month of such a grueling training regime. Darien could scarcely remember the last time he hadn’t been fighting or training.

"So do you think our training’s finally over?" asked Akane. "Are we going to go back and try to find the last stone now? Or are we simply going to crush the demons as they come?"

Darien noted a flame in Akane’s eyes at the thought of killing demons and had to admit that that option sounded just fine to him as well; after all, the demons had taken Serena from him.

"I don’t know," he finally answered at length. "I know which option I would choose, but that might not be the best one."

Akane grunted. "Depends on how you define best."

Further conversation was cut off as others began to come out of their tents. With the exceptions of Ukyou and Shampoo, who stood at opposite ends of the camp and alternated between glaring at each other and Akane, the others all came to see how they were doing. It had been a while since any of them had been able to talk the morning away and now they took full advantage of it.

Everyone wanted to know what he and Akane had been up to. Both of them brushed the questions aside, giving training as the simple answer to those who persisted. They both worried that the training they had undergone had been for those who couldn’t keep up, even though logical thought dictated otherwise.

Mousse and Ryoga were the last ones up and Cologne finally stopped poking at the campfire. She took a perch upon a large stump as Ryoga went to stand with Akane and Mousse to Shampoo. One raised hand cut off all talking.

"Your training is done," she stated. Everyone let up a cry of joy at hearing this. It had been a long, grueling month and a half for everyone. "Now we must return to Tokyo to face the demon menace. To protect our stone, to find the third stone, and to take the demon’s stone from them. It will be a long fight, but I promise that if you remember all that you have learned here, you will persevere."

Her eyes swept across the gathered group, locking for a brief instant upon Darien and Akane. "Ranma and Serena, our respected leaders, have fallen in battle and now it falls to me to fill their vacancies. I told you in the beginning that I would choose new leaders and so I have."

Akane noted that Shampoo suddenly seemed to become a little smug, obviously thinking that she would be given leadership over the Nerima gang since she was Cologne’s granddaughter. "Darien Shields will lead the Sailor Scouts as Endymion." This announcement produced looks of shock among the Scouts and Darien was stunned speechless.

The affect of her next announcement was even more profound. "Akane Tendou will lead the martial artists from Nerima."

"What!?" shouted both Ukyou and Shampoo in unison.

"Stupid pervert girl is not making good leader!" continued Shampoo.

"That’s right," echoed Ukyou. "I’m much stronger than Akane."

"Shampoo much stronger then both stupid girls." The two longtime rivals instantly began a heated glaring contest.

A small smile spread across Cologne’s lips. "So you say, but who will be the first to prove such a statement?"

Shampoo was faster than Ukyou in accepting the challenge. "Shampoo fight!"

"Very well. Akane, Shampoo, take your positions."

Akane could only watch as Shampoo moved to stand in a small area of camp that was clear. She couldn’t believe that Cologne had named her leader and was now expecting her to fight for the title. She had never been able to beat Shampoo.

"Is pervert girl afraid?" taunted Shampoo.

Akane’s eyes narrowed sharply and she stepped opposite her purple haired opponent. "Who could possibly be afraid of you?"

Shampoo only grinned. She was quite positive this was going to be a quick and easy fight. Charging forward, she threw a powerful punch with the intent of ending this before it had even began A look of utter surprise crossed her face when she missed.

Surprise was equally apparent on Akane’s face, as she had done nothing more than sidestep the strike expecting full well that the Amazon would still hit her. Frustrated and angry that her one time rival had shown her up so easily, Shampoo redoubled her efforts and began hurtling blow after blow at Akane. Compared to the speed and power of Cologne’s strikes though, these were nothing and Shampoo quickly found herself on the defensive as Akane launched an attack of her own.

Akane didn’t take the time to question her sudden good fortune at finding herself Shampoo’s equal. She simply let go with everything she had. The surprise and shock Shampoo had been feeling at being matched by someone she had always thought weak passed quickly and soon both girls were trading blows.

At last they parted and Akane took the time to size up her opponent. Despite the fact that she had so far matched Shampoo’s every blow, she knew that the Amazon was in better shape and would eventually win. Akane had to finish this now.

The two girls clashed again, but this time instead of blocking Shampoo’s hook punch, she ducked and slammed a single punch into the Amazon’s gut. Shampoo’s eyes widened in pain and surprise and then she doubled over. She couldn’t even remain standing though, and her legs buckled as she fell to her knees.

Ukyou stared in open-mouthed shock. "One punch. I can’t believe she knocked out Shampoo with one punch."

"It wasn’t one punch," stated Cologne matter of factly. "It was ten."

"Why?" gasped Shampoo trying to get her breath back. "Why you teach Akane technique, but not Shampoo?"

Cologne sighed and moved to the aid of her fallen great granddaughter. "In this game I cannot play favorites child. Akane and Darien showed the most determination and force of will. Maybe this is because something of their predecessors rubbed off on them or simply because they feel the loss most keenly, not to say that we don’t all suffer. I chose them to lead not because they were the strongest or most skilled, although they definitely rank up there now, but because I see that it is the strength of their spirits that will be able to guide us to victory."

There was a moment of silence and then Rei stepped forward. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that we will gladly accept Darien as our new leader."

Cologne smiled at the confirming nods from the other Scouts, and turned to the group from Nerima. "And will you accept Akane?"

Ryoga nodded without hesitation and then Mousse as well after he eyed the fallen Shampoo. Ukyou wore a dark scowl, but she finally nodded too. Shampoo couldn’t nod very well, but her answer was pretty much a given.

Then, one by one, everyone came to congratulate the pair on their being named leader. All of them were sincere and it was obvious that they trusted Cologne’s choices.

Darien and Akane wished they did too.

She floated in the sky just below the cloud level. Beneath her, the city of Tokyo went on about its day, oblivious to her presence. Even from here she could hear the familiar sounds of her home. The murmur of millions of voices melding into an indistinguishable drone; the honking of horns and the screech of tires; the clamor of trolleys and trains; the roar of jets as they flew over the city.

Then it all went silent.

She couldn’t understand what had happened. The people below were still talking, the cars still moving, but there was no sound. A jet roared by less then ten in front of her, but she heard not the faintest hum of an engine. It made no sense.

Something made her look up and she saw sun light glint off of a metallic object. She had no idea what it was, but it was large and falling fast. Past her it sped, spinning as it swept silently by.

Then it slammed blade first into the city below her. Black haft extended high above the cities skyscrapers as the duel bladed tip, one long and curved and a second, smaller blade behind the first, dug deep into the Earth’s crust. The earth began to tremble and large fissures spread out from the blade, ripping Tokyo apart without making a sound.

The blades crackled with purple energy and waves of purple light shot in every direction. Through the city they traveled, leaving a swath of destruction their wake. Buildings crumbled to the ground noiselessly and people died with their mouths hanging open in silent screams. It was a horrible sight to behold, but she couldn’t tear her gaze away from the destruction.

When it was over only the strange, spear like weapon remained in the center of a ring of destruction. The city had been obliterated beyond recognition and only blackened ground marked its passing. Suddenly the air above the weapon of destruction shimmered and two violet eyes appeared.

Those two eyes seemed to stare into her soul, and Rei Hino knew fear.

She pulled herself awake, away from the piercing eyes. With a gasp she cleared the last wall of darkness between sleep and awake, and sat up with a choked off cry. The others sharing the tent with her woke up as well and shot concerned looks in her direction.

"What’s wrong Rei?" asked Mina.

She swallowed, trying to work moisture back into her mouth so that she could talk. "The Bringer of Silence comes," she finally whispered softly into the night.

High up on the mountain, two figures watched the sleeping camp. They could not see it through the darkness, but they knew where it was and stared at it as if it was not cloaked in blackness. In the distance the twinkling lights of Tokyo punctuated the darkness.

"Do you think they are truly ready?" asked a figure hidden in the shadows.

Sailor Pluto nodded slowly. "As ready as they can be. As ready as anyone can be considering what they face."
"What do the streams of time tell you?"

The guardian of time snorted. "Nothing. The time stream splits in hundred different directions at this point. Even I only have the vaguest idea of what the future holds."

"And what of Ranma and Serena?"

"I still cannot find them," there was a note of despair in the Scout’s voice. "Until I know where they are, I won’t be able to tell whether they’ll return in time to stem the flow of evil that threatens this planet."
"Do not worry Pluto. I have never known you to fail at a task set before you. These things simply take ti-" The unseen figure cut off suddenly with a violent coughing fit.

Sailor Pluto spun to make sure her companion was all right. "Are you okay My Queen?"

A single hand extended, warding off the Scout’s comfort. "I am fine. It takes a lot of energy to keep myself on this plane, even when the body I now use is given over to my use freely. I simply grow tired."

"Perhaps you should return to the ethereal plane so you can rest."

"Yes, that is a good idea. My being here exacts a toll upon this body as well as my spirit. This girl is so brave to give me her body even knowing what it might cost her."

Sailor Pluto smiled. "She does what she can to help her friends. To save her planet."

"We all do Sailor Pluto, we all do."